The Afflicted Ones
by j.sakurachan1
Summary: Hakkai is not alone in his curse, and finds a town of humans turned demon. How will he react to such a revelation, and how will he cope with the perils ahead...I don't do summaries...I don't own Saiyuki, but the village and the OCs are mine.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:  
This story is based off a dream I had around Hakkai and his youkai capabilities. I hope to keep this more focused on the four boys, but please be patient with me if the OCs stand in the spotlight every once in a while. Some constructive criticism I recieved on this story reminded me of that, but I love OCs, and their affects on the main characters.  
If you must, think of this as a filler or a side arc that doesn't have anything to do with the actual plot. I just snagged the characters.

"I'm hungry…How long till we reach the next town Hakkai?" Goku whined, stomach growling for emphasis. Trees flashed by on either side of the road as Hakuryu sped along, driven by the quiet Hakkai. A vein pulsed in Sanzo's head; he was sitting next to Hakkai, but looked ready to turn and give the monkey a good slap to the head with his fan.

"Is that all you know how to say you stupid monkey?" Gojyo yelled from his seat next to Goku; they weren't actually sitting in seats but rather the flatbed of the jeep.

"Oh like your one to talk you stupid water sprite! All you ever say is how you're gonna hook up, even though you never do!"

"Do you wanna die! Fuckin chimp!"

"Ero kappa!"

Hakkai sighed in the front seat, this could go on all day. He peered over at Sanzo, who was becoming more and more irritated by the second. Gojyo and Goku were now standing and shouting; one final twitch from Sanzo was the only warning Hakkai saw before the monk pulled out the banishing gun.

Bang. Silence came from the back, Gojyo and Goku now grasping each other in fear. "Unless you both want a face full of lead it's time to shut the fuck up!" Sanzo roared from the passenger seat of the jeep. Hakkai merely smiled, the same face he wore when he was trying to look insignificant. Sanzo turned back around and closed his eyes, placing the banishing gun back under his robes. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tapped out one stick. Rummaging through his pockets once more he found a lighter. Gojyo and Goku relaxed from their hold and sat back down, looking out at the trees in boredom.

Click. Click. Click. "Gojyo give me your lighter." Sanzo demanded.

"What! Why the hell should I?!" Hakuryu went over a relatively large pothole and Gojyo had to hang onto the sides lest he fall off. He looked over at Hakkai and realized with fear that Hakkai was getting pretty pissed, which was never a good thing. Gojyo sighed, and after searching his pockets, tossed his lighter to Sanzo while muttering under his breath; he really didn't want to push Hakkai at the moment. Click. Sanzo inhaled slowly, then exhaled. Finally, Sanzo tossed Gojyo's lighter back. "I'm so hungry. I think I'm gonna die if I don't get some food soon." Goku whined again, staring out the side of the jeep.

"According to the map, there should be a village coming up. You'll only have to wait a little while longer, Goku." Hakkai spoke in a too cheerful voice, one that belied his tension. Something about the forest just didn't sit right with him, and the sooner they left the better. Hakkai looked through the review mirror once more, checking the road behind for the spying faces he could feel following him. The others showed no hint that they felt the same eyes, so perhaps he was just imagining things.

He turned his eyes back to the road and saw, with much joy, the end of the forest in sight. As the green jeep left the shadows of the trees Hakkai let out his held breath, though his relaxation was short lived. The road to the village was direct enough, and there were no places to hide any attackers, but the obelisks on either side of the road midway between the forest and the village seemed to grow more foreboding as the group sped closer.

Sanzo looked over at the tense, green-eyed man with his own sense of unease. He knew that when it came to reading Hakkai's moods Gojyo was the expert, but even a child would be able to sense the tense aura given by the quiet man. Sanzo kept his questions to himself and looked toward the village on the horizon, growing nearer and nearer.

Gojyo was also looking at the village, as was Goku, but each for their own reasons. Goku was already drooling over dinner, oblivious to anything else, while Gojyo was planning on what to entertain himself with after the sun set; it had been too long since his last bit of fun. Gojyo also knew that the last thing he wanted was to be in the same room as Hakkai if his old friend was pushed to far by the monkey or the monk.

The three men had no notion of the tension that Hakkai was subject to at the moment.

As the jeep reached within ten feet of the large black pillars, Hakkai knew that something was wrong. His whole body seemed to tense up as the ten feet turned into five, then two. Once the jeep passed between the obelisks, pain exploded behind his eyes; his foot hit the brake and, even before Hakuryu could come to a complete stop, he fell from his seat and rolled along the ground.

Sanzo, Goku, and Gojyo had seconds to vacate the jeep before Hakuryu turned into his dragon form to rush to his master's aid. Sanzo leapt from the jeep to roll along the other side of the road, while Goku and Gojyo landed unceremoniously on the middle of the road behind where the jeep had recently been. All three turned shouting, only to hear Hakuryu's distress and Hakkai's screams.

Sanzo, Gojyo, and Goku fell silent, unsure of what to make of the situation or what to do for their friend. Hakuryu's frantic cries shrilled loudly at the three men, seeming to beg them to do something. Hakkai was trying to crawl back the way they came, away from the village toward the obelisks. But still the three men were frozen with shock and confusion. A sharp yell broke them from their trance, "Hurry up and bring him back over before he dies you idiots!"

Sanzo raised his eyes to those of young man accompanied by an even younger girl. The girl-child shouted once more, though she didn't move an inch closer to the fallen man. The young man refused to move as well, both knowing full well that they would end up like the fallen man if they tried to help. Gojyo was the first to react, and stumbled forward to pull Hakkai up and drag him toward the obelisks and the strangers. Goku jumped forward and grabbed Hakkai's other arm and together they carried Hakkai to what they hoped was safety. Sanzo lurched forward after the other two, trying to look composed and indifferent despite the turmoil beneath.

After much stumbling due to Hakkai's thrashing, Gojyo and Goku passed between the black stones once more. Hakkai immediately calmed and his screaming ceased, but he still groaned in pain. Hakuryu hovered overhead, still shrilly calling out. "Quiet down you stupid animal, you're just making things worse!" Gojyo snapped, surprised when the little white dragon obeyed and settled on cheeping pathetically. The little girl was shifting impatiently, "You need to move faster before things get worse! You do know how to move your feet don't you! C'mon-" the young man placed a hand on her slender shoulder, silencing her.

Gojyo and Goku walked faster, though, the warning encouraging them. As they reached the strangers Hakkai's groaning stopped altogether. Gojyo looked down, a cold wrench of fear in his gut, and almost dropped Hakkai; green eyes looked up at his, slowly clearing from the cloud of pain, shaded with exhaustion. Goku on the other side was staring determinedly at the destination ahead and jumped at Gojyo's gasp, "Hakkai!"

Sanzo caught up to the three and stared off to his right, determined to look uncaring. He pulled out his cigarettes once more, after reality returned and he realized his had fallen somewhere along the point when he had jumped from a moving car onto the packed ground. He also began to feel the bruises left behind from the recent stunt.

Finally the stumbling trio came to halt before the strangers, with Sanzo a short distance away smoking. The young man brusquely moved Goku and took Hakkai's weight, but the girl merely waved her hand as if to say this way, hurry. Goku let Gojyo and the man carry Hakkai while he held out his arms to take Hakuryu. Once the girl deemed the group far enough away from the obelisks for comfort, she gave out more orders, "Put him down here, and try to make him comfortable. You there, shorty, go back past the barrier and get your stuff. You might have something of use in there, like a bedroll or anything to cushion the Afflicted's head. And priest, go with him-"

"Why the hell should I? I don't give a damn what happens."

"Fine, do whatever. Redhead, go help shorty." The girl took Sanzo's tantrum in stride, continuing her tirade without break. Goku and Gojyo on the other hand, obeyed while stomaching their protests; they were afraid for Hakkai, the one who never fell when he was hurt, the one who never yelled in pain. The girl then turned to her companion, "Honshi, go into the forest and find Kasha, and hurry!"

"Hunh." Grunted the young man. While the duty-ridden men jumped to work, with Gojyo and Goku regaining some of their composure (more commonly known as insulting each other in loud voices), the young girl leaned over the comatose Hakkai, whispering. Sanzo watched everything with a calculating gaze, taking long drags and waiting for an explanation.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**I know, it's been forever since I last updated, but I have been temporarily incapable of typing…getting stepped on hurts…my poor hand ********…**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

Gojyo and Goku returned from their jaunt to the fallen bag, sporting more shouts. "Why am I carrying the bag?! It's your shit in here!" Gojyo was yelling at the annoyed monkey.

"Wad'ya mean it's my shit! Those aren't my magazines in there! I can't see why you like that stuff anyway, it's gross…"

"You are too young to appreciate art when you see it, monkey. Or maybe you're more into the other stuff…"

"Don't be such a prick, kappa! And those cigarettes aren't mine either!"

"They belong to your master, so you should carry his shit, not me!" Gojyo and Goku reached where the strange girl kneeled at Hakkai's head and, after receiving a glare sharp enough to kill, fell silent. Hakkai had finally passed out, the exhaustion and pain taking it's toll on the man. Sanzo kept playing his aloof card off to the side, much to the ire of Hakuryu; the little dragon was venting his tension by squeaking at the monk at regular intervals, annoying the man without any concern for its own safety.

The sun began its descent as the girl grabbed the bag from Gojyo without waiting for him to finish his task. After sorting through some aforementioned items, she tossed the bag aside in disgust. "Don't you have anything useful? Either you guys are city bred or extremely dumb, though I don't really know if there's a difference with you…"

"Hey, watch it little kid! Let me remind you that I can kick your ass." Gojyo growled, obviously insulted.

"Keep tellin yourself that, old man."

"What! Who are you callin old! I'll have you know-"

"Gojyo, you really are pathetic, getting into a shouting match with, what, a seven year old." Sanzo called over to the group, a bored expression on his face.

"I'm twelve you stupid cross-dresser!" Sanzo's eyebrow twitched dangerously.

"I am a monk! This is part of the uniform!" The blonde man stalked toward the little girl, his rage burning.

"Look who's arguing with the kid now…" Gojyo muttered.

Goku shifted from foot to foot, his stomach reminding him of his need for food. He opened his mouth to let Sanzo know so he could buy some food, but glanced down at the unconscious Hakkai and felt something more urgent call to him, "Hey, shouldn't we be helping Hakkai?"

Gojyo and Sanzo stopped their current shouting match with the little girl, who was holding her own quite well with the two men, and glanced down at the sleeping man. The girl turned to Hakkai as well, speaking in a matter-of-fact voice, "Kasha is on her way. We can't do anything until then."

The little girl sat back down by Hakkai, straightening her light brown shirt and gray shorts as she did so. She brushed her dark blonde hair out of her eyes, revealing a small silver earring on her right ear. Goku sat on Hakkai's left side, holding the now silent Hakuryu in his arms. Gojyo and Sanzo moved away from each other to smoke in peace while they waited for the mysterious Kasha to arrive and clear up a few gray areas.

The wait wasn't long, fortunately for all involved in the situation. Tensions were rising again and threatening to burst as the young man, Honshi, returned with a grown woman in a long-sleeved gray dress. Her long black hair was tied back from her face into a messy bun on the nape of her neck; a silver chain around her neck caught the sunlight. Her blue eyes took in the travelers and then landed on Hakkai.

"So, this is the reason you brought me all the way out here, Honshi? Very well, I will do what I can for this Afflicted." She paid no heed to the others, but approached Hakkai and kneeled along his right side across from Goku.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt or anything, but would you mind telling us what the hell is going on here? The midget over there and the guy haven't been too informative as of yet." Gojyo moved to stand behind Goku, looking down on the fairly attractive woman.

"Listen, child, once your friend is safe you'll get your answers, but if you hadn't noticed he could have been seriously damaged by your earlier stunt." She looked at the confused faces before her, and sighed, "You aren't from around here, are you. Just be patient for now. Gunna, hold his head still for now." Gojyo was twitching again, this time for being called a child by a woman who appeared no older than him. The little girl, called Gunna, nodded her head. Sanzo tossed his used cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. He promptly pulled out another one, using his lighter to light it; which had decided to work since the jump from the jeep…

Kasha placed one hand on Hakkai's chest, feeling his heartbeat and the rise and fall of his lungs. Satisfied that he wasn't physically injured she moved her hand to his forehead, closing her eyes. To the watchers, nothing seemed to happen, but Gunna and Honshi knew that the woman was checking Hakkai's mental health, one of her powers. After a few tense minutes with Sanzo and Gojyo grumbling to themselves and Goku's stomach growling repeatedly, Kasha opened her eyes and pulled back her hand slowly.

"Your friend will be fine, but I suggest you do not take him past the barrier again. The two obelisks along the road mark the final point that those like us can pass. If you haven't guessed already, there is a certain type of youkai that cannot pass beyond the barrier; youkai who were once human, or their children. You there, the Sanzo priest, must proceed to the village before the sun sets lest there be trouble for the rest of us. The half-blood and the youkai boy have the choice of where to go.

"All humans are required to stay in the human village. That is the agreement between the humans and my people. If you violate that law than it will bring violence down upon the rest of us. Your friend will come with us back into the forest, to rest and recover."

"What the hell makes you think that we are going to let Hakkai go with you?" Gojyo snapped. "How do we know you aren't one of Gyumaoh's assassins?"

"And why the hell should I do anything? I'll go where I want-" Sanzo burst out, digging in his heels at being forced into following another's orders.

"If we had wanted to kill you we would have done so already. We have been watching your movements ever since you entered the forest this morning, but the only one of you who seemed to notice was him," she motioned to Hakkai, "So I can assure you the only danger right now is your stupidity. And you will go to the village on you own two feet or in pieces; I won't let you put my people in danger because you are a stupid ass with you head where the sun don't shine."

Sanzo's veins were pulsing, and he looked about ready to grab the gun and start shooting. Goku's head was hanging, but from shame or hunger they couldn't tell. Gojyo's face was an amusing shade of red as he kept his anger bottled up inside. Gunna burst out laughing as the travelers were chastised, and even the stoic Honshi cracked a smile.

Kasha rose, brushing off her dress. Turning she motioned for Gunna to follow and Honshi to deal with the unconscious man. Gojyo finally overcame his tied tongue and stalked after Kasha, making his obvious decision. Goku looked between the youkai and Sanzo, trying to decide which path to take, but his stomach had the last say; Sanzo had the money therefore Sanzo was the better choice.

Sanzo left without saying a word, not content with the short words from the youkai woman, and knew that the only place he would be given more information on the annoying situation would be the village. As the groups moved away from one another, Gojyo's voice could be heard, "I believe we got off on the wrong foot, you can call me Gojyo, Sha Gojyo…"


End file.
